1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for producing optically active 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-hydroxy-2-methylpropionic acid by resolving racemic 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-hydroxy-2-methylpropionic acid with an optically active amine compound, novel optically active amine compound therefor and its production process.
2. Description of Related Art
Optically active 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-hydroxy-2-methylpropionic acid is a useful intermediate compound of pharmaceuticals for urinary incontinence as described in WO97114672 and also of agrochemicals. There have been reported a method in which racemic 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-hydroxy-2-methylpropionic acid is resolved with optically active α-methylbenzylamine (J. Med. Chem., 1996, 39, 4592-4601) and a method in which racemic 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-hydroxy-2-methylpropionic acid is optically resolved with brucine and followed by repeated recrystallizations (J. Chem. Soc., 1951, 2329-2332).